Improvement in harvesters



Patented Aug. 23, 1859.

`this specification, in which- UNITE rares Arne-iii* il Fries.

OBED HUSSEQOF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.' l

IMPRGVENT its HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of LettersPatent No. 2.59220H, dated 'August 23, 1859; y

lo all irlioiii it may concern: l

Be it known that I, UBED HUSSEY, of the city and county ot Baltimore, and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useiiil iiiiprovementsin the manner of raisingand lowering the cutting apparatus of reaping and iiiouiiig machines; land l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, a'nd'exact de'- si'ciiption'ot ilie same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making appart of Figure l represents in perspective so much ofV a harvesting-machine as will illustrate my invent-ion; and Fig. 2 represents a transverse section through the finger-beam, and showing the main wheel and frame in elevation.

Similar letters of reference,I where Hthey occur ia the separate figures, denote like parts ofthe machine in both.

Several different methods have ,been de vised for raising and lowering the cutting api high, the correct position being iiearly'or' quite horizontal. The usualmethod-pursued to secure a' horizontal position of the cutter in cutting at dii'erent heights from the ground is to raise and lowenthe machine at the groundbearings. This isusually done by the slow process of chan gin g the position of the axle-boxes by removing the bolts, Sgo. Another plan to raise and lower the cutters in a horizontal plaiieis by flexible connections, rack and spurwhccls, and by compound levers; but all these may be said to accomplish their object by sacrificing the general utility of the machine. The strength and rigidity of the machine must be maintained, and any addition to it that im pairs its other more important functions cannot bc deemed as improvements upon the machine. Y

., hij.' design is to obviiite the use of these hithcitodev-iscd plans for raising` and lowering the cutters in a vertical line, as they are tedious or insufficient; and my invention consists 'in raising and' lowering .tlie machine on theaxles oi' the ground-bearingf-that is, the main .wheel atene lenid of the tinger-bar or lmain 'frame and the truck-wheel at the other endand to doit instantaneously at both ends ot'- the linger-bar by a lever operated by the driver or conductor from his seat, las'iivill be explained. Agis the -main frame of the machine, a nd B; the finger-bar` connected toits rear portion.

.C is the outside divider or shoe.- .These are ot' the ordinary well-known construclion,and needno special description.

D is nie mais wheel',- iis axle @being fast..

fened to and turning with it. This axis a has its bearings in the boxes ccfwhich are connect ed to or a part of a plate, platform, or frame, E,"which has upon its forward end two hook# shaped pieces', e e, that catch under and around' l two trunnions,f f, on the main framevA, so that the main frame andinain wheel are hinged and have their motions one upon the other at these tr'unnions f f. The trunnions, for 'conl venience, may be cast 4onto or with the boxes` iii, which constitute the .bearings for the jour,- nals ofthe shaft'n, from which the cut-ters may be driven in any ofthe usual well-known ways, 'said shaft receiving its motion froma pinion,

which is driven by gear on the main wheell); The trunnions and shaft n, being in the same line, and that line-thecenter of hinged .motion of the main wheel and its connections Withthe frame, either may move around that line'vvith-` out throwing'tliemain wheel and pinion out ot' gear. 4

m is a bevel-gear on the shaft n, which may drive a bevel-pinionoi the crankshaft, to which the cutters are attached and' by which they'lare worked. F is a-transverse or cross piece upon theA main frame, which may serve as a foot board or support for the ldriver or conductor wholoecupies the seat G. H H are a pair of shafts o`r thills, into which ithe horse that draws the machine is hitched,

though a tongue can of course be-used when twoliorses are-used abreast to draw the machine.. The thills are connected to the-transf verse piece F by loops or straps o, which pass .around journals on said transverse piece, and

thus make what may betermed strap-hinge -of the frame and relieve the horses ha'ck.

a rod, u, is attached,- the other end-thereof'besaid ngerfbar, or far enough `to support a` holes or t-heirl equivalents,soithat` when it is,

- z of the-lever z. 4

N is a guide-piecepermanently attached to j the crossbar O of the main frame.- It is curved,

through a hole in which it passes, to move on connections, which would, were it not for other appliances, to be hereinafter described, leave the thills loosely hinged to the frame, so that none of the weight of the machine could be transmitted through them (or through a tongue similarly hung) to the horses back.

I is a brace extending across .from thill to its hinges up and down, but not laterally, as -an y lateral movement of said platform would tend to bind or cramp the gearing.

Pis another guide and brace, through a slot in which the forward en'd of the lever K passes, and in `Whchalso'said lever may be held by a. pin passing through oneof the series of holes thill and having a gain, r, cut init aboutmidtherein, so that while the driver or conductor way of its length, into which gain dthe front end, A', of the main'i'rameprojects, but inv such manner as that said front end or point or part' A may freely move in a vertical line through saidgain, but not in a laterall direction. Y The drivers or conductors` seat G is sup.- ported on the rear portion of the hinged platfrom his seat. may raise up the cutters at any time, yet -the pin .would p'revcnt`the1n from falling below av given height; but if the pin be removed entirely then the ngerbar would run upon or close to -the ground unless raised up or,held up by the driver or conductor.

It will be perceived that though the thills form E, so as to bring his weightov'er or nearly hare 'hinged to the main frame, land that when over theaxle of the main driving-wheel D, his weight, together with the leverage between the trunnionsf and the axle a, tending to hold the main wheel to the groundand prevent itfrom supported by thehorsesbacks`or necks the main fra'me can `be raisedor lowered, yet the thills are rigid, so far as all practical purposes are-concerned, for neitherthethills northe slipping thereon, and also to raise up the frontv :main frame can move one on the other unless Tothe forward portion of the main frameis pivoted, at s, al bell-crank lever,- t, the arm t' of which is forked and straddles the braceJ, and the other arm, tt', has a series of adjusting holes,r 1-'2 3, in it; to one of which one 'end of ing connected to an arm, J, which is= fast on the lever K said lever having its fulera at 'v in a` brace, L, 4permanently attached to` the inain frame. The lever K is beut-i-nto'the form shown in the drawings, and to its extreme rear portion is pivoted one end offa. link, w, the

arm, @rigidly aiixed onA theend of a long shaft or axle, y', that is placed Ainnnediatelybe hind the finger-bar B, and extends from'l its connection with the arm' a: to theouterend of small truckwheel at'that end of the machine, as' follows: To the outer end of the shaft lor wheelM, and the other arm,a',- has a projecl tion upenit, which enters and moves' ina ci r, cular slot'or recess, 4, in the outside Tof the'divider G, the said .projection,-as well as the nnarV by the 'lever K, which, through its connections,

makes the joint'rigid until it is moved. It is obvious then that when the thills or tongue is supported by the horses, and the driver or conductor from Ahis seat, by hisv footv or`otherwise,`

presses down the lever K, the linger-bar B, throughout `its entire length and instantane`- ously, is,'raised` up from 'the -groundQuponz-its two ground-supports, D M, and always prel servingits-horizontal postiou, and so giving to the cutters and guards their prper'position for easy work; .-Thetwo ground-supports are f notjin the same line, one being much Vin rear Vother end of said link being connected to, an rofthe other, sothat in fact when the machine israised'up upon its supportsi the raising is doneattwepoin'ts and. the frame could not rise inthe are ofacircl e,for it couldA not swing on the two separate :raising-pointsf-hence its preservingits, horizontality lunder 'all lits con;

ginof the recess`4, being furnished with pinframe, 4finger-bar, and 4'outside divider upon desirable to raise and hold upthe cutters'at-agiven height it may be readily done'byv simply inserting apra-through onfof-ttheadjust'ingholes and through the projection onthe arm .as represented, so as to allow the platform E,

lthe two groundsupports 'in a horizontal posi- -tion-bj' means of a lever and its 'connections therewith, operated bythe driver fronLhis seat, "substantially as described, and for the purpose setforth.'

,Witnessesf t J. RRAWDEN, GEORGE'EVERHART.-

.LTh'e',combiuationvof the mainl ground-l 

